NDY Lifecycle. Volume 12. April/May 2013.

Myer Emporium Cathedral of Commerce

Spotlight on Indoor Environment Quality

Focus on Cities Q&A with Megan Motto

Volunteering A guiding hand

Editor-in-Chief: Ian Hopkins

Editor: Ric Navarro

Art Director: Ricky Walker

Contributors: Andrew Symons Kemal Gungor Megan Motto NABERS Steve Brown Tony Arnel Vyt GarnysWorld GBC

Front & back cover: The Myer Emporium redevelopment in Melbourne boasts energy efficient design adoptiong the latest technology. Story on page 7.

Contents 01 Welcome to Lifecycle

A letter of introduction by Ian Hopkins.

02 News in brief Sustainable snapshots.

04 Q&A with Megan Motto In this interview with Lifecycle magazine, the CEO of Consult Australia speaks candidly about the need to focus on urgent infrastructure requirements for our cities.

07 Cover Story: Emporium Melbourne The journey of embedding sustainability, technology and innovation into an iconic retail site redevelopment in the Melbourne CBD.

10 Healthy interiors boost productivity, profits and wellbeing IEQ is the new buzzword in occupancy comfort and sustainability, with good reason.

14 Air change effectiveness contributes to Green Star The science behind internal air distribution and its key role in IEQ and Green Star compliance.

18 Volunteering: a guiding hand Andrew Symons is a young engineer with a passion for mentoring.

Printed by Docklands Press on Impact 100% Recycled Paper using the Ecoclean chemical recycling process.

1

The Government has already compensated large sections of the

community based on the current tax level of $23 per tonne and the

budget is set to take a severe hit when the price moves from fixed to

floating in 2015.

This has negative ramifications to the federal budget as a low carbon

price removes a significant portion of the incentive for industry to adopt

clean energy systems and to invest in energy conserving technologies.

With the Coalition opposition indicating that they will repeal the

carbon tax if elected on 14th September there is even more uncertainty

on the horizon. The Coalition has indicated support for the Renewable

Energy Target but it is questionable if this target is reachable in a

reasonable time frame without appropriate financial incentives.

It is essential that whoever wins the September election develops a

coherent integrated policy on energy: one that achieves the key targets

of reducing Australia’s carbon emissions per head of population while

simultaneously enhancing our competitive position in the world.

This edition of Lifecycle examines a diverse range of issues. Consult

Australia CEO Megan Motto highlights the importance of continuing

to develop infrastructure ahead of the growth of our cities if we are to

maintain the liveability of our cities and optimise their impact on the

environment as they grow.

Tony Arnel, Vyt Garnys and Kemal Gurgor highlight in their articles

the contribution to productivity in our offices provided by a quality indoor

environment. Reducing energy consumption of new and existing office

buildings is an essential component of the management of carbon

emissions in all developed countries. However, it is important that this is

not achieved at the expense of the quality of the indoor environment in

these offices. The balance must be maintained.

Andrew Symons' contribution to the community through the

Anglicare Boys will be Men program is a very laudable undertaking and

an example to us all. Another instance of an NDY individual making a

difference – an example which makes me very proud.

I trust you enjoy the read.

A letter of introduction by Ian Hopkins

Welcome to Lifecycle

The Australian Government faces a significant dilemma with a colossal drop in the European carbon price. The price has dropped to below $4 per tonne. Compare this with the Australian Treasury projections of $29 per tonne by 2015 when Australia is scheduled to move from a fixed price to an emissions trading scheme.

Ian Hopkins, CEO

a low carbon price removes a significant portion of the incentive for industry to adopt clean energy systems and to invest in energy conserving technologies.

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

A new report released by the World Green Building Council points to an increasingly compelling business case for green buildings.

Scan the QR code to download

a complete copy of the report.

Sustainable snapshotsNews in BriefNDY welcomes data centre NABERS rating systemAustralia is leading the way in assisting business to gauge energy consumption with the launch of an energy efficiency rating system for data centres.

The NABERS Energy for data centres rating

system is the first in the world able to measure

and score the operational energy efficiency of IT

equipment housed by a data centre. It measures

processing and storage capacity and determines

the corresponding energy star rating.

The system also assesses the efficiency of

infrastructure services, such as air conditioning

and lighting, and combines the IT and infrastructure

elements to assess the energy efficiency of the

data centre as a whole.

For NDY, the implementation of a data centre

NABERS rating system is an extension of the

innovative features engrained in all of its data centre

projects. Testament to this is the NDY work on the

Melbourne Water Data Centre project which has

been recognised with a number of sustainability

awards including a recent finalist nomination in

the International Uptime Institute Green Enterprise

IT Awards.

“Through the design development of the air

cooling solution utilising free cooling and rack air

containment technologies at the Melbourne Water

Data Centre, NDY have been able to deliver an

approximate 40% reduction in energy consumption

for the operation of the cooling system compared

to the existing facility,” says NDY Senior Associate

& Project Coordinator John Boatto.

This equates to a saving for Melbourne Water

of over $40,000 or 600 tons of CO2 per annum for

the life of the facility with further savings eventuating

as Melbourne Water’s IT system grows.

Further information on the NABERS

data centre ratings system can be found at

www.nabers.gov.au

The report, The Business Case for Green Building:

A Review of the Costs and Benefits for Developers,

Investors and Occupants, was produced in

partnership with PRP Environmental and sponsors

Skanska, Grosvenor, and the Abu Dhabi Urban

Planning Council/Estidama.

According to the report, research clearly shows

that there are a large number of compelling benefits

from building green, which are received by different

stakeholders throughout the building life cycle.

These benefits range from risk mitigation across a

building portfolio and citywide economic benefits,

to the improved health and well-being of individual

building occupants.

Moreover, green buildings can now be delivered

at prices comparable to those for conventional

buildings and these costs can be recouped through

operational costs savings and, with the right design

features, through a more productive workplace.

The report investigates the business costs and

benefits of green building in five vital categories and

finishes with an exploration into both the impacts that

a greener built environment can have at a macro scale

and how this can be achieved.

NDY's work on Common Ground in Sydney resulted in the first 5 Star Green Star Multi Unit Residential Design v1 rating in NSW.

World GBC: sustainable buildings make business sense

Photo by Brett Boardman

3

Buildings with a positive impact Earlier this year NDY associate and sustainability team leader Mark Taylor was invited by the Institute of Architects WA Chapter to present an overview of the Living Building Challenge.

The Living Building Challenge is an emerging sustainable

building framework which creates an entirely new level

of ambition for the built environment by focusing on

developments that have a positive impact on the site and the

wider environment.

“This approach is known more generally as restorative

design, and it looks at ways to get projects to a performance

ideal, rather than simply improving on business-as-usual,”

says Mark. “It originated in Canada and has been slowly

spreading, with three projects now registered in Australia.”

NDY Sustainability in Perth has combined with two other

local sustainability consultants to form a Living Building

Challenge Collaborative for W.A., which was officially

launched on 21 March 2013.

For further information on the Living Building Challenge,

visit www.ilbi.org/lbc

Having already achieved the 5 Star design rating against the NZGBC Green Star Education Design & Built 2009 tool, Kimi Ora School has now been awarded the 5 Star As Built Rating.

Kimi Ora School is a special needs school with students attending from the

Wellington, Porirua Basin, Hutt and Kapiti areas. It has been purposefully designed to

include a number of unique and innovation features such as hydronic in-slab heating,

mixed mode ventilation, motion activated lighting, solar heating, rainwater harvesting, a

building management system and sophisticated internal communications network.

“The Kimi Ora school is a special project for those of us at NDY privileged to work on

the designs,” says NDY Wellington director Stuart Bagley. “The facility was designed to

satisfy the specific education needs of the pupils whilst meeting the stringent requirements

of achieving a 5 Star design under the NZGBC Green Star Education Design & Built 2009

tool. To have now achieved the 5 Star Green Star Built Rating is testament to the attention

to detail by the architects, builders and NDY. We are very proud of the outcome.”

Scan the QR code to read more about the Kimi Ora School project.

NAWIC Sustainability award for NDY’s Leigh GibbPerth based NDY sustainability consultant Leigh Gibb won the Encycle Consulting Triple Bottom Line Sustainability Award for outstanding contribution to sustainable environmental or social practices in the construction industry at the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) 2013 Crystal Vision Awards Night held in March 2013.

"The NDY Perth management team

encouraged a few of the staff to enter the NAWIC

awards, but to actually make the final shortlist

and then to take out the award is an unexpected

honour," said Leigh commenting on her award win.

"The results we have achieved on the AIM

Katitjin 6 Star Green Star project have been lauded

by the client and to be recognised with the NAWIC

Triple Bottom Line Sustainability category caps off

what has been a remarkable project."

Kimi Ora has now been awarded the 5 Star As Built Rating.

Carolyn Marshall, Chair of the RAIA (WA) Sustainability Committee with Mark Taylor.

Leigh Gibb, NDY sustainability consultant with her 2013 NAWIC award

Kimi Ora achieves another 5 Stars

The Kimi Ora school is a special project for those of us at NDY privileged to work on the designs. - Stuart Bagley, NDY Wellington Director

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

The State of Australian Cities report launched by the Federal Government in late 2012 provides an evolving evidence base for the implementation of the National Urban Policy launched in the preceding year.

A focus on cities for a changewith Megan Motto

Q&A For Megan Motto, CEO of Consult Australia (the association for

professional services firms in the built environment), the State of Australian

Cities report underscores the need to focus on urgent infrastructure

requirements for our ever-expanding cities.

In this interview with Lifecycle magazine, Megan discusses the need

to refocus policy on the growth of our cities and how a corresponding

emphasis on infrastructure investment is essential to ensure our cities

cope with fundamental changes over the coming decades.

Megan Motto is CEO of Consult

Australia and is responsible for all

facets of the business, including

policy and lobbying, commercial

growth and strategic direction. Under

Megan’s leadership the organisation

has undergone significant growth

in membership and services and

enhanced public and political

profile. Other highlights include

the establishment of a successful

education unit within the business

and the significant enhancement

of State and federal resources.

5

NDY’s contribution to upgrade works at Brisbane airport illustrate how planning and infrastructure renewal needs to keep pace with population growth.

In Australia, three quarters of the population resides in major cities, which are the economic powerhouses that produce about 80% of our sovereign wealth. How does the State of the Cities report address the infrastructure requirements of these cities?

MM: One of the important aspects of the State of the Cities report is

that it introduces data, statistics, commentary and international

comparisons to the debate – all of which point towards the need

for a greater focus on cities. Quite rightly, the report points to the

fact that a majority of the population around the world is migrating

into urban areas, which should help to ensure that our cities

remain on the national agenda.

In considering effective cities, one of Consult Australia’s main

concerns is the sheer number of conflicts that occur between

different tiers of government. The politics at local, state and

Federal level can be very difficult to navigate and more often than

not only delay, disrupt and slow down productivity-enhancing

reform in the cities space.

Supported by evidence-based public policy, through the

advice provided by independent bodies such as Infrastructure

Australia, cities have the ability to deal with major social,

environmental and productivity issues. However, with ineffective

governance, cities can have a huge and potentially devastating

impact on a nation’s productivity, sustainability and liveability.

Picking up on the theme of growing cities, Melbourne and Sydney have absorbed nearly 40% of Australian population growth since 2001. Are we seeing this growth reflected in infrastructure spend?

MM: No, definitely not. One of the most perplexing problems that

people in Australia have to deal with every day is that investment

in infrastructure – both through new developments and renewal

of existing infrastructure – hasn’t kept pace with Australia’s

population growth.

After the release of the Government’s most recent

Intergenerational Report, we unfortunately ended up with a very

simplistic debate about the ‘big view of the world’ versus the

‘small view of the world’ where Australia’s infrastructure issues

were deemed somewhat insignificant in comparison to those of

other cities globally. That debate was particularly unhelpful, and

was exemplified at the 2009 Built Environment Meets Parliament

(BEMP) summit at which then Federal Minister Lindsay Tanner said,

"The reality is, when you look at us in comparison to global cities

around the rest of world, we are not over-populated – we are in fact

never likely to be over-populated: we're just badly organised."

That comment was very telling. It really did allude to the fact

that cities planning has not been considered a high priority for

many governments in Australia. It certainly helps to explain part

of the reason that we haven't kept our planning and infrastructure

renewal system at pace with recent population growth.

Whilst there are a number of factors at play including

the politicisation of the issue generally, the major barrier here

is infrastructure funding. This is something Consult Australia

is particularly focused on ahead of the 2013-14 Budget and

14 September election.

According to the report, the growth in cities, in particular inner city locales, has corresponded with a reduction in car travel, which has been offset by some increase in heavy rail. How important is transport infrastructure investment?

MM: Particularly in comparison to other cities around the world, our

cities are geographically rather spread. What this means is that

roads will always play an important role in moving people into, out

from and around our cities. But there is no doubt that the longer-

term answer when we are considering issues such as congestion

is in better public transport solutions.

Looking at the sustainability aspect of the report, it highlights that most Australian cities have experienced declines in annual rainfall over the last 60 years. How is Consult Australia seeing this decline impact on our cities and rural communities?

MM: To ensure our cities and rural communities are well prepared,

we should focus on developing robust frameworks for resilience.

At Consult Australia when we talk about sustainability in terms of

cities, we think about improving the efficiency of how our cities

operate, while also considering their resilience and the extent

to which they are adapting to extreme weather events and

population changes.

Across all tiers of government, policy makers are still getting

their head around the potentially huge implications from an ageing

population and the impact of that for our cities. It's early days,

but there are encouraging signs that this will be a focus for public

policy in the years ahead.

The report says that proper management of natural resources and green infrastructure can make a major contribution to the sustainability and liveability of our cities. Do you believe Consult Australia members have a meaningful role in facilitating this?

MM: That's one of the blessings of running Consult Australia: through

our member firms, we have access to the sort of intellectual

property that will be the game changer for Australia and around

the world in the years ahead. I always describe our members as

the clever people who design the world.

What we need is for governments to see the true power and

importance of built environment consultants. Our industry has

the potential to come to the table with major policy solutions at a

project, precinct and city level, as well as public policy at a federal

government level. It's critical that, as an industry we have a seat

at the table in that regard.

One of the great things about the policy work that Consult

Australia does is that we actually don't need to outsource it.

We can draw directly on the knowledge of our members, which

gives us all the intellectual power we need to make a significant

contribution to public policy and policy development.

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

Australia consistently ranks highly in OECD, UN and global cities liveability indices, but do you think that this imbibes Australian governments, across all tiers, with a false reading on our future infrastructure and built environment needs?

MM: There's no doubt that Australia is a great place to live, which

is why it consistently ranks highly across a number of ratings

of the world’s major cities. We're blessed with good weather, a

great culture and stable government, but one of the things that

we need to be aware of is becoming complacent and resting on

our laurels. In our region, and take China and the growth of their

middle class as an example, we're going to encounter serious

competition in the years ahead.

This increasing competition should be a wake-up call. We

simply cannot rely on what we've been lucky enough to obtain.

We have to make sure that we've got the attitude and the right

policy to make sure that we're keeping pace with our neighbours

and competitors, particularly as we strive to become a services

hub for the region.

The report uses Parramatta in Sydney as an example of ‘cities within cities’ where urban hubs can be dynamic city centres in themselves. How do you see the role of these micro cities evolving?

MM: The ‘cities within cities’ approach is clever on a number of levels.

It allows urban centres to identify themselves as cities and

therefore plan for the future through that lens. To take the example

of Parramatta in Sydney - ‘cities within cities’ thinking has seen its

population disperse and settlement patterns emerge demanding

new infrastructure solutions for Sydney as a whole.

This dentralisation of cities, away from the CBD takes a ‘load

off’ which, as populations flourish in our cities and our urban

centres continue to grow, will be increasingly important: taking

the pressure off some of the systems around the inner city areas

that are already congested, constrained and feeling the burden of

population growth.

And do you see this feeding into a richness of cultural depth that encourages community engagement?

MM: We’ve always enjoyed a dynamic culture in Australia. We see

centralisation around the CBD or business district, around

shopping centre districts, community, arts and sporting districts.

As our cities continue to expand, these are vital ingredients to

ensuring residents have a sense of local community and identity.

Cultural depth and identity is so very important in terms of

providing the glue which makes communities work.

The report talks about the current federal budget including a framework for the second phase of the Nation Building Program to run from 2014 - 2019 to help deliver on the goals and objectives of the National Urban Policy. What does this involve, particularly from the Consult Australia point of view?

MM: Consult Australia supports and encourages the development

of the framework for further funding, but we would suggest

that we're now facing a new era of economic realism in terms

of taxation bases. There are really only two types of funding

for infrastructure: government raising capital through taxes; or

user charges facilitated through financing models and private

sector capitalisation.

The reality is that both are constrained in future environments.

We need to have an urgent national conversation about how

we're going to fund the things that we need into the future. This

will mainly include physical, transport, and social infrastructure –

what I call vertical integrated infrastructure.

Do you believe sustainability considerations will underpin all such future infrastructure planning?

MM: The interesting thing about sustainability is that the conversation

has turned quite rapidly over the past decade. It used to be very

black and white: you either save the environment or you save

the economy and certainly some debates still sit around those

polarized opposites. However the more sophisticated debate

is actually about achieving both at the same time. Nowadays,

people recognise that those two things need to go hand in hand,

so some of the more advanced thinking is actually around how

you achieve those twin goals. That's quite exciting from our

perspective; we have always seen that the 'green and the gold'

should go hand in hand.

The best solutions are win-win solutions, not ‘either/or’. That

has certainly been Consult Australia’s long-term view and has

also always been the mentality of our members. Certainly that’s

why our firms have driven change over the last decade in terms

of providing sensible solutions for governments, their clients and

society and working towards this win-win scenario.

This feeds into the importance of the built environment. How do you see the design, construction and maintenance of buildings driving long-term energy efficiencies and improved environmental outcomes?

MM: Improving the performance of our buildings is paramount. The

productivity benefits extend not just to asset owners in terms of

energy and financial savings, but also in a productivity sense as

they become a centre of excellence for people doing their best

work in a liveable environment. This is where it's at these days. It’s

about milking more from the assets that we produce across all of

the levels of the triple and quadruple bottom line.

There’s a wave of building stock that's coming to the end of its life cycle over the next few decades. How can we deal with this infrastructure tsunami?

MM: That's the big thing at the moment for our industry. Retrofitting,

otherwise known as retrogreening, is becoming a very powerful

and successful market. But the challenge is that within 50

years, half of the building stock will be comprised of that stock

which already exists today. New green buildings are one thing,

but retrofits will be a major part towards improving our built

environment in the years ahead.

If there's one thing that Consult Australia is working hard

to make a reality – it is that all tiers of government in Australia

maintain a focus on cities as the powerhouses of our future and

plan accordingly.

investment in infrastructure... hasn't kept pace with Australia's population growth.- Megan Motto

7

For building services engineers Ben White and Will Mason, the new

Emporium project in Melbourne has been a personal journey with the

aim of delivering Melbourne’s most significant CBD retail centre in twenty

years. Literally the size of a city block, the Emporium covers the site of

the old Myer store in Lonsdale Street. Behind the expertly propped 1926

heritage façade there will, by late 2013, exist 225 retail stores spread

over 46,000 square metres. The retail mix will be international flagship

brands, luxury stores, Australian designers and a premium café court

with seating for more than a thousand diners.

Ben White, the Project Director for Building Service Engineers Norman

Disney & Young (NDY), was initially a bit daunted by the challenge. “It took

us a while to get our heads around the scale of the project,” he said. “But

we realised that the layout – which is essentially that of a conventional

regional suburban shopping centre compressed on to a city block –

offered a number of efficiencies. It is much easier, more economical and

more energy efficient to service a stack than a sprawl.”

The word ‘Emporium’ derives from the Greek emporion, which itself derived from the ancient poros, a journey. For it is the very nature of shopping at an emporium that it should be a journey, perhaps of discovery; the excitement at being somewhere so large and ostentatious that there are always unexplored corners, no matter how well-travelled the path of previous transaction.

Cathedral of Commerce

Emporium Melbourne

By Steve Brown, Director, NDYLIGHT

All images in this article courtesy Colonial First State Global Asset Management

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

The 2009 planning approval included mixed-use elements

on the upper levels, including offices, but these were trimmed

back as the current project developed and became more

focussed. By mid 2010 it had evolved into the current form,

with an eye-popping corner façade facing Lonsdale Street and

a massive media screen which appears to have crystallised from

the original Myer Emporium façade – technology which has

been utilised for the first time in the southern hemisphere.

The project boasts energy efficient design adopting the

latest technology swing. Only parts of the malls are conditioned,

the rest passively cooled with variable controls methodologies

utilised. The mall lighting makes extensive use of LED

technology. Opportunity exists for numerous interactive

media screens throughout the centre to enliven the customer

experience. The operational functions of the centre have

been extensively automated; the Emporium is designed to be

operated with minimal staff and from one central location. One

example of this is the bespoke loading dock management

system, which allows the Emporium to share a common loading

dock with adjoining sites – an example of technology tying

together a retail precinct.

Given the likely market caché of the tenants, great effort has

been expended to ensure current and future servicing needs

can be met. For example, every tenant can gain access to three

phase power, the mechanical systems have been designed

for high demand strips (such as jewellers) and the centre’s ICT

backbone will allow virtually any technology to be piggy-backed.

The fire engineering solutions are, as Ben White describes

them, “pretty out there.” Asked to explain, he said, “All

smoke management systems throughout the project have fire

engineered solutions. Whilst a stack is efficient, it is also riskier

than a suburban shopping centre, and those risks all had to be

addressed and engineered appropriately. As a result, we have

been able to minimise escape corridors, thereby increasing

rental space, which has at the same time allowed for more

openness in the malls and longer vistas. All fire engineering

solutions are totally integrated with the architecture; as close to

invisible as we could make them.”

“It feels like the last piece in the Melbourne CBD retail

puzzle,” said NDY Project Co-ordinator Will Mason. “A shopper

will soon be able to traverse the entire length of the precinct

from the front door of Myer on Bourke Street all the way through

to Latrobe Street, enclosed in high-quality conditioned space

with multifarious retail choices. It’s been tremendously satisfying

to be part of the evolution of Melbourne's new retail heart.”

The first section of the original Lonsdale St store extending

from Post Office Place opened in 1926, and an extension to the

east was added in 1929. A Sydney newspaper described the

union of the Myer and Myer Emporium buildings in 1934 as a

‘Cathedral of Commerce’.

The site is owned by CFS Retail Property Trust Group

(managed by Colonial First State Global Asset Management)

and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Pte

Ltd (GIC). Colonial First State Global Asset Management have

brought their extensive retail and mercantile nous to the project.

Emporium is being constructed by Grocon, who have

exhibited their customary innovation in construction with the

retention of the Lonsdale Street façade. The architect is the

Buchan Group, working in collaboration with international

designers Wonderwall from Japan (for the mall interior design)

with input on the food court design from Rockwell in New York

and local designers Russell & George.

Emporium Melbourne is due for completion in November

2013. Genuflecting upon entry is optional.Little Bourke Street, east view.

Little Bourke Street, west view.

9

Key collaborative team / client Colonial First State Global Asset Management & GIC

project manager Codicote

architect The Buchan Group

builder Grocon

structural and civil engineer Robert Bird Group

quantity surveyor Donald Cant Watts Cork

Services provided by NDY / Mechanical

Electrical

Architectural lighting design

Communications & audio visual

Security & traffic management

Fire protection

Fire Engineering

Acoustics

Emporium Melbourne, Lonsdale Street view.

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

Healthy interiors boost

productivity, profits and wellbeing

By Tony Arnel, global director sustainability, NDY and Dr Vyt Garnys, managing director and

principal consultant, CETEC.

In his 2009 book ‘the Pleasures and Sorrows of Work’ author Alain de Botton cleverly canvasses how much of our lives we spend at work while lamenting how little gets written about what makes work one of the most exciting and most painful of all our activities. For those of us who work in buildings – whether they be offices, factories, hospitals, retail centres or schools – it is not too difficult to distinguish between those indoor environments which have a positive effect on general wellbeing.

11

The philosophy adopted by the NDY design team in delivering the ESD solutions at the award-winning Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne focused on both the 'personal environment' and the 'ecological environment'.

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

Whilst the gains achieved by a focus on saving resource sustainability such as energy, water, ecology and waste must be continued, a focus on IEQ will yield the outputs needed to improve national wealth, harmony and wellbeing.

13

Healthy buildings and related air quality has been a subject of research for more

than three decades. Typically this refers to the quality of the air in an office or other

building environments. Workers are often concerned that they have symptoms or

health conditions from exposures to contaminants in the buildings where they work.

Indoor environments are highly complex and building occupants may be exposed

to a variety of contaminants (in the form of gases and particles) from HVAC systems,

office machines, cleaning products, construction activities, carpets and furnishings

(off gassing), perfumes, cigarette smoke, water damaged buildings, microbial growth

(fungal / mould and bacterial), insects and outdoor pollutants.

Over the past decade, the conversation about workplaces has broadened to take

account of not only air quality but workplace flexibility, creative design and careful

choice of materials. Much evidence has now been gathered to demonstrate that

these new workplaces are responsible for a healthier and more motivated workforce.

In Australia, there is almost a daily media and government discourse about the

declining productivity in the nation’s workforce.

Missing from the debate however is the role of our major asset – the existing

built environment. Various estimates for existing commercial or non-residential stock

buildings range from 200 to 500 million square meters and wages earned are of the

order of $400 billion with office workers earning about $150 billion annually. Case

studies can show that the quality of the indoor environment of existing buildings can

be improved so as to yield between 1-15% gain in occupant productivity.

Considering an average1 potential improvement of 7% (the target set by Melbourne

City Council’s CH2 building), this would recurrently lift national productivity by about

$10 billion each year. This is expressed as almost 40% of the annual forecasted

non-residential construction most likely to exceed the value of annual new office

construction. Pre and post IEQ and productivity studies conducted by CETEC in the

past 5 years have yielded 4 – 13% financial productivity gains from improvements to

existing or new buildings.2

Both NABERS and GBCA have recognised the value of IEQ on worker wellbeing

and productivity and are intensifying their efforts to improve their rating systems for

occupant satisfaction, comfort, contaminants, lighting and building acoustics.

For the past decade, peak bodies such as the Property Council and Facilities

Management Association, and a number of state and local governements, have been

vocal in promoting the value of in building IEQ.

Since the potential contribution to national productivity and worker satisfaction

is so significant, governments should be encouraged to support the IEQ efforts of

NABERS and GBCA rating agencies and establish national statistics and guidelines

overseen by the Productivity Commission.

Whilst the gains achieved by a focus on saving resource sustainability such as

energy, water, ecology and waste must be continued, a focus on IEQ will yield the

outputs needed to improve national wealth, harmony and wellbeing.

Feeling good in our homes and offices isn’t just a matter of having a beautiful

space. No matter how fabulous your furnishings, a poorly designed indoor

environment can literally make you sick.

Companies that make the move to green buildings have employees with lower

turnover rates, fewer sick days and higher productivity. A focus on improved indoor

environment quality will deliver a bottom line result. Chief Executives who ignore the

many well documented case studies around Australia and internationally risk not only

imperiling their existing workforces, they will lose out in the talent attraction stakes

and fail to realize the huge gains in productivity improvement.

1. Source: Cetec, Facility Ecology Projects 2. Source: Cetec, Case Studies

To read the unabridged version of this article, go to www.ndy.com/resources-knowledge

Below & Bottom: NDY worked closely with the client and design team to ensure the interior quality of the 6 Star Green Star AIM Katitjin Centre in Perth represents world leadership in sustainable building design.

About the authorsTony Arnel is the Global Director of Sustainability at NDY. He is immediate past Chair of the

Green Building Council of Australia (2007-2012) and a founding Director. He is also immediate

past Chair of the World Green Building Council (2008-2011).

Dr. Vyt Garnys is Managing Director of CETEC, a multi-disciplined consultancy offering

professional scientific solutions. The company was founded 25 years ago and has built a

consideration reputation in the area of Indoor Environment Quality advising many organisations

on the benefits of workplace health, wellbeing and productivity.

To find out more about CETEC visit: www.cetec.com.au

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

The triple 5 star Green Star rated 115 Batman Street Melbourne, utilises a passive chilled beam system.

15

Green Star rated buildings are increasingly considered and demanded by both building developers and tennants. One of the Green Star rating categories is IEQ-2: Air Change Effectiveness. In simple terms, Air Change Effectiveness (ACE) describes an air distribution system’s ability to deliver ventilation air to a building, zone or space.

Two Green Star points are awarded if ventilation systems are

designed in accordance with ASHRAE 129-1997. During the design

stage this is demonstrated through computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

modelling of the air conditioning system.

In order to achieve improved ACE, and comply with GBCA

requirements, air distribution systems are required to deliver the supply

air to the breathing zone. Air movement within this space directly

affects occupancy comfort, indoor air quality and ACE. Displacement

flow and entrainment flow are the two distinct flow patterns commonly

used to characterize air movements in buildings.

Displacement flow is characterised with the movement of air within

a space like a piston motion in Figure 1. In an ideal displacement flow,

the room air does not mix.

A typical entrainment flow is shown in Figure 2. Ceiling based

air supply and return air grilles generally exhibit a entrainment flow.

Displacement flow has a higher potential to achieve a better ACE value

than the entrainment flow. Poorly designed, installed, or operated

systems can exhibit short-circuiting, especially ceiling based systems

in heating mode.

To achieve maximum energy efficiency, high thermal comfort, and

optimum indoor air quality and ACE, the details of the flow pattern must

be established during the design phase of a building.

Air Change Effectiveness contributes to Green Star

NDY sustainability consultant Kemal Gungor (PhD) examines the factors affecting Air Change Effectiveness and outlines solutions to assist in achieving compliance with Green Star requirements.

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

return air

= bouyancyair outlet

finished floorfloor plenum

air jet

raisedfloor

supply air

suspended ceilingceiling plenum

window

return airfloor slab

supply air

return air

= bouyancyair outlet

finished floorfloor plenum

air jet

raisedfloor

supply air

suspended ceilingceiling plenum

window

return airfloor slab

supply air

Variables affecting flow patterns The basis for air movement in buildings, both internally and

externally, is temperature and pressure differences. Air change

effectiveness is dependent on the airflow pattern and in a

building environment, flow pattern and air change effectiveness

is dependent on a number of variables.

Even small changes in these parameters can have a

pronounced effect on the assessment outcome.

Anticipating the impact of any change is not always possible. Field measurement is the only objective method to

determine the effect of change on the flow pattern and ACE

in built environments. During the design stage however, CFD

simulation is successfully used to identify flow patterns for

the building.

Selection of the HVAC system can have a profound effect on

ACE results. Following is an overview of the ACE performance

potential of the most common ventilation systems.

CAV+ chilled beamChilled beam systems (active & passive) offer energy saving

advantages and are available in a variety of configurations, from

rectilinear slots to 600 mm squares and rectangles. There are

also varieties of both passive and active chilled beams that

incorporate other elements – such as lights, sprinklers, speakers,

space occupancy sensors and smoke detectors – in a multi-

service beam configuration. All chilled beam arrangements have

a common feature: they create additional vertical air movements.

This additional vertical air movement provides improved

air mixture within the space compared to a VAV system. CAV+

Chilled Beam systems usually achieve compliance with the

GBCA air chance effectiveness requirements.

Displacement ventilation (UFAD)Displacement ventilation is based on the principle that

cooled air is supplied with low momentum in the lower part

of the room. The cold air displaces the contaminated air from

the occupied zone upwards in the room. Buoyancy forces

(temperature differences) control the air movement in the room as

the free convection around heat sources – including occupants,

equipments & lightning – creates vertical air movements in the

room. In the same way a cold window or a cold wall will result in

a downward convective flow.

An integral characteristic of displacement ventilation is the

formation of stratified layers of air. This characteristic provides

a significant advantage in order to achieve GBCA air change

effectiveness compliance. It is expected that many of the

underfloor distribution systems would achieve compliance with

GBCA air change effectiveness requirements.

Variable Air Volume systemsIn Variable Air Volume (VAV) systems, changes in the room

heat load are met by controlling the volume of air supply to

the room without changing the supply temperature until the

minimum permissible air supply is reached. Seasonal control

of the supply air temperature takes place as a function of the

outdoor temperature. A VAV system can operate over a range

of airflow rates which will have subsequent effects on the

flow pattern within the room. GBCA air change effectiveness

assessment requires that all the simulation would be performed

at the lowest turn down ratios.

Figure 1. Displacement flow within a space

Figure 2. Entrainment flow within a room (ASHRAE)

17

Finding the correct solutionEach building has its own unique characteristics which will influence

ACE outcomes. The following general design considerations provide a

broad framework for evaluating ACE outcomes.

� Increasing the supply of fresh air may not necessarily improve the

Air Change Effectiveness.

� Ventilation systems that can preferentially deliver the air to the

breathing zone would achieve better Air Change Effectiveness.

Personal ventilation systems, Task air ventilation, displacement

ventilation and under floor ventilation will generally provide best

ACE results.

� Chilled beam systems create additional vertical air circulation

which improves ACE and, in most cases, complies with GBCA

ACE requirements.

� The use of return air light slots significantly impairs the achievement

of a good air change effectiveness outcome when the supply air

terminals are also located at ceiling level.

� The use of discrete return air grilles provides a better solution

compared to perforated ceiling/air handling luminaries, and this can

be further improved by regulating the return airflow through each with

a balancing damper.

� Location of return air grilles have greater impact on ACE than the

number of return air grilles.

For a copy of the comprehensive study analysis by Kemal, visit tinyurl.com/G2ACE

Or scan this QR code

About the authorKemal Gungor (PhD), M.AIRAH, is a sustainability consultant at

Norman Disney & Young’s Melbourne office. His expertise in heat

transfer, thermodynamic analysis, design and computer modelling

of thermal systems (i.e. energy modelling, facade analysis) is in high

demand. He is also a specialist in computational fluid dynamics

analysis. His skills are being utilised by NDY to develop and implement

ecologically sustainable design solutions within the building industry.

NDY used CFD modelling for the ANZ HQ project in Melbourne Docklands.Photo by Earl Carter

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

19

A guiding handIt's a natural phenomenon for human beings to instinctively yearn for and seek out role models. Nowhere is this more apparent than during young adulthood.

Adolescence, with its unique challenges, can be a minefield and

this is where a desire to instinctively seek out role models is at its

strongest. Enter the Boys will be Men program.

Run by Anglicare in Victoria, Australia, the Boys will be Men

program, and its accompanying program, Quest, offers isolated,

at-risk boys aged 10–16 years an opportunity to develop positive

connections with male mentors in different group settings.

Counsellors in Anglicare’s domestic violence and family violence

unit identified the impact of family breakups, violence, drug use, and

general dysfunction on children, particularly boys. These impacts

can manifest themselves negatively with boys, including, difficulty

controlling their emotions and actions, habits of making poor

choices, and encountering problems with teachers, friends and

school work. Ultimately these factors can create a cycle of violence

as these young boys grow into adult men.

By creating a safe environment, and role modelling

behaviours and choices that promote self-control and respect, the

Anglicare programs aim to show these boys alternative ways to

handle challenges.

At the core of these programs are volunteers, men who stand up

as role models. These volunteers come from all walks of life: business

owners, labourers, professionals, and retirees. This diversity offers a

unique richness to the interactions between the volunteers and boys.

One such volunteer is NDY engineer Andrew Symons. At

26 years of age, Andrew is one of the younger volunteers of the

Boys will be Men and Quest programs. Having participated in the

programs for the past three years, Andrew’s passion for volunteering

and commitment to contributing to society was instilled at an

early age.

"I was fortunate in my upbringing to benefit from the generosity,

compassion and opportunities presented by those around me to fulfil

my potential as a young man and reach my position as an engineer

at NDY today,” says Andrew.

“A loving family provided me with emotional and financial

support, whilst our broader society afforded me opportunities in

education, skills development and general freedoms to explore what

the world has to offer.”

Images (clockwise from top): Andrew Symons; a group of participants and volunteers at a recent Boys will be Men camp; Andrew undertaking a 'trust' challenge with one of the boys.

www.ndy.com/lifecycle

These qualities were consolidated and demonstrated early in

Andrew’s life by individuals such as his grandfather who was a pivotal

role model. Andrew’s grandfather consistently demonstrated values of

compassion and commitment to others, hard work, and determination

to live a life that was personally rewarding.

To Andrew, this man represented a balance in life that was

demonstrated by stories of personal sacrifice, and personal care.

The Boys Will be Men and Quest programs look to foster such

vital connections and experiences between the boys and their male

role models.

“The purpose of the connections is to offer the boys an opportunity

to explore and challenge their concept of manhood whilst developing

positive male self images,” adds Andrew.

“The boys are quite responsive and there is a marked change in

their attitudes. These boys can often be in the midst of family hardships

and confronted with issues outside of the group, but within the group

they tend to recognise the unique and accepting environment that

we create.

“As volunteers, our intention is to be role models rather than

hold ourselves up as life-changing mentors. Helping the boys to be

mindful of themselves and their choices is a long-term goal. There

are glimmers of these outcomes in the interactions that we have and

these are always inspiring moments for the volunteers.

“The boys do ask me a lot about what I do – typically because I’ve

come from work and I’m still in my suit. I tell them about my brand of

engineering, what it means to consult and talk to clients. Ultimately

I tell them that they should pursue the things that interest them and

work out what they like about them.”

When prompted for reasons behind his volunteering, Andrew

mused on the benefits he was deriving from the interactions.

“These programs afford me the opportunity to diversify my life

and interests outside of work. I enjoy opportunities where people

are challenged in a supportive environment. I like to talk to people,

understand their issues, and help them with a guiding hand – I would

hope there is some value in the experiences and principles I’ve learnt

being passed on to these boys.”

Images: Boys on a recent camp (below left) and; Andrew with fellow volunteer Pete.

Helping the boys to be mindful of themselves and their choices is a long-term goal.

- Andrew Symons

21

Sustainability and transparency at NDYNDY has just commenced the development of its first public sustainability report to be published later this year. The report will tell NDY’s sustainability story – our performance in environmental, social, economic and governance issues. It will also help us to measure, monitor and continuously improve our performance in sustainability.

NDY’s key stakeholders, including staff and key clients,

will be involved in helping to determine the most important

issues to be addressed and communicated in the report. The

development of the report will be led by Tony Arnel, Global

Director of Sustainability at NDY.

The authenticity of such reporting is crucial to building and

maintaining trust in the NDY brand and reputation. Improving

business sustainability is vital but being actively seen to be

performing in sustainability is also important. This is a major

driver of public reporting.

“Surveys show that the factors which are most important

to a company’s reputation are transparent and honest business

practices and trust. These come second only to the delivery of

high quality products and services” said Tony Arnel.

The report will be based on the Global Reporting Initiative’s

Guidelines, which is the most widely used sustainability reporting

framework in the world.

www.globalreporting.org

Melbourne115 Batman Street West Melbourne Victoria, 3003 Australia Phone: +61 3 9862 6800 Fax: +61 3 9862 6900 email: melbourne@ndy.com Contact: Mark Barrie

Perth200 St Georges Terrace Western Australia, 6000 Australia Phone: +61 8 9281 6800 Fax: +61 8 9281 6888 email: perth@ndy.com Contact: Darrel Williams

AdelaideLevel 8, 11-19 Grenfell Street South Australia, 5000 Australia Phone: +61 8 8290 6800 Fax: +61 8 8290 6805 email: adelaide@ndy.com Contact: George Balales

SydneyLevel 1, 60 Miller Street North Sydney New South Wales, 2060 Australia Phone: +61 2 9928 6800 Fax: +61 2 9955 6900 email: sydney@ndy.com Contact: Chris Nunn

CanberraEndeavour House Franklin Street, Manuka Australian Capital Territory 2603 Australia Phone: +61 2 6295 1788 Fax: +61 2 6295 7302 email: canberra@ndy.com Contact: Alan Edler

DarwinCBC, Level 1 48-50 Smith Street Darwin, NT, 0800, Australia Phone: +61 8 8943 0634 Fax: +61 8 8943 0848 email: darwin@ndy.com Contact: Rob Stoddart

BrisbaneLevel 14, 120 Edward Street Queensland, 4000 Australia Phone: +61 7 3120 6800 Fax: +61 7 3832 8330 email: brisbane@ndy.com Contact: Andrew Gentner

Gold Coast45 Nerang Street, Southport Queensland, 4215 Australia Phone: +61 7 5512 1235 Fax: +61 7 3210-3900 email: goldcoast@ndy.com Contact: Jeff Marchant

London Classic House, 180 Old Street EC1V 9RQ United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0) 20 7553 9494 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7553 9499 email: london@ndy.com Contact: Stas Brzeski

DubaiPhone: +971 50 101 2917 email: dubai@ndy.com Contact: Ian Hopkins

AucklandLevel 5, AMP Centre 29 Customs Street West 1010 New Zealand Phone: +64 9307 6596 Fax: +64 9307 6597 email: auckland@ndy.com Contact: Ross Legh

WellingtonGround Floor, 1 The Terrace 6011 New Zealand Phone: +64 4 471 0151 Fax: +64 4 471 0163 email: wellington@ndy.com Contact: Stuart Bagley

Christchurch5 Wordsworth Street, Sydenham Christchurch 8440 New Zealand Phone: +64 3 365 0104 email: christchurch@ndy.com Contact: Donna Bridgman

www.ndy.comThe case studies in this edition of Lifecycle highlight NDY’s ability to address sustainability issues across the built environment and corporate social responsibility.

Lifecycle is an initiative by Norman Disney & Young © 2013